The Alberta government hopes to capture 50 to 60 wild horses in the Alberta foothills to help protect sensitive rangeland north of Banff.
“It comes down to rangeland health. It is an age-old story with feral horses and the terrain out there. Their numbers are such that they’re causing some damage out there. We have to bring the numbers down for the sake of rangeland health,” said Alberta Environment spokesperson Duncan MacDonnell.
“At least one allotment in the zone that is showing poor or declining range health.”
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There are about 880 wild horses in the entire foothills area. The roundup will concentrate on the Ghost Equine Zone south of the Red Deer River, west of Banff National Park and south to the Ghost River.
Alberta Environment plans to hire wranglers to capture the horses in bait corrals.
“That is the most stress free and effective way of rounding up horses in the winter,” he said.
The government hopes to capture mostly young horses that are more suitable for adoption and turn them over to the Wild Horses of Alberta Society. The rest will be sold at auction.
MacDonnell said the roundup won’t take place in the Sundre area, where 15 horses were captured last year.
Alberta Environment signed a five-year agreement with the society last year to conduct a program to try and reduce the wild horse population in the Sundre region through an adoption and contraception program.
“The WHOAS is going to have first choice for adoption. The remainder will go to public auction for the public to buy,” said MacDonnell.
The society has built shelters in the past year to help tame wild horses and help them become more suitable candidates for adoption.
Horses will be branded, photographed and given a written description before the auction in case they end up back in the wild.
“This is one of those things that are very emotional. You never know what people are planning.”
McDonnell said the department hopes to complete the round up by the end of February.
